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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · game · branch · coach · mouse · band · pitch · chair

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — a leader
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com